With the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War, there was a sense of victory among the liberal democracies – a feeling that the capitalist approach had won and that Russia will undergo democratic-Western procedures.
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When I served as Israel's ambassador to Russia, during President Boris Yeltsin's time in office, I witnessed, in various ways, the contempt Western countries showed Russia and the sense of humiliation the Russians felt alongside a sense of strategic threat to the Russian nation.
It was only after the Feb. 24 Russian invasion of Ukraine that the West realize the depth of the Russian imperialist conception, and its immense longing to again be such a power.
As a KGB officer, Vladimir Putin experienced the collapse of the Soviet empire and watched Russia weaken, Putin has guardedly watched NATO pushing its forces to the east in stark contrast to Western promises after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
On the global stage, Putin has declared a "limited campaign" in Ukraine, designed to demilitarize and "de-Nazify" it. He does not use the term "war" so as not to evoke the memories if World War II (which Russia calls the "Great Patriotic War"), as the heavy toll it took on Russian society has yet to be forgotten.
Back in 2014, the ouster of pro-Russia Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych sparked a political crisis and triggered a Russian invasion - and subsequent annexation of the Crimean Peninsula. This move by Putin all but decided that Ukraine could never become part of the European Union, as the latter does not grant memberships to countries subjected to territorial disputes.
As far as Russia is concerned, the existence of Ukraine as an independent state is merely a mistake by history that the Kremlin must rectify. Thus, Putin means to demilitarize Ukraine, eradicate its democratic regime and install a puppet government, rendering Ukraine a Russian protectorate. His motives are both ideological and geopolitical and are in blatant violation of international agreements.
Putin, however, seems to have underestimated Ukrainian nationalism or the Ukrainian people's determination.
The Russian president's behavior also signals to other former Soviet Union countries, such as the Baltic states and Moldova, that they must be careful – the West will clearly not come to their aid in time of need.
The Russian ruble may have crashed, but Putin still enjoys massive support. The Russians consume only state media because all the liberal media channels have been shuttered. Demonstrations have been banned and in fact, there is no active opposition in Russia – Putin has managed to eliminate it.
There is no way of knowing whether the economic sanctions the West slapped on Russia will push Putin to sign a ceasefire deal. Putin is well aware of European countries' dependence on Russian oil and natural gas, and is well aware of China's great hunger for oil and gas.
The Russian president's cruelty has been proven in the past. Now he needs to cement an image of victory and that, unfortunately, is still nowhere in sight.
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